Curia: Single dicastery for social doctrine issues is under study

The Pope’s advisors on Curia reform will be holding a new round of talks Monday. They will review the roles and tasks of Congregations and Pontifical Councils. Tasks relating to justice and peace, migrants and charity may come under one umbrella. The new Pontifical Council for the Laity is working on adding a section specially dedicated to the role of women

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Pubblicato il
14/09/2014

Ultima modifica il 14/09/2014 alle ore 18:06

The group of cardinals tasked with advising the Pope on Curia reform will be holding a new meeting from Monday15th to Wednesday 17th in the Vatican. There is eight of them, plus the Vatican Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin. The group is responsible for improving and simplifying Curia structures and helping Francis govern the universal Church.

No major developments are expected, one of the cardinals involved told Vatican Insider. Unless there are any last minute surprises, there probably won’t be any new announcements regarding mergers or structural reforms. Both inside and outside the Curia there are those who say things are moving very slowly. However, it should be remembered that even the process which concluded with the Apostolic Constitution “Pastor Bonus”, the last structural reform passed by John Paul II, lasted five whole years.

The situation regarding the Pontifical Councils is at the top of the cardinals’ agenda (cardinals proceeded in the order set out in the Pontifical Yearbook and the last items on the list have not been taken into consideration yet). Also at the top of the agenda is a review of the work done and the proposals made during previous meetings. In fact it is not unusual for clarifications and adjustments to be made while the general plan goes ahead.

The creation of a dicastery focusing on the family, is certain by now and will probably take the form of a congregation for the laity. The dicastery would encompass the homonymous Pontifical Council led by Bishop Vincenzo Paglia and the Pontifical Council for the Laity led by Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko. Within this new structure which will aim to give a more prominent role to the laity in the Church, there should also be a section specifically dedicated to women and their role in the Church. The possibility of the new dicastery absorbing the Pontifical Academy for Life as well is also being discussed but nothing has been decided yet.

Another dicastery that is under study could encompass all bodies that deal with issues relating to the social doctrine of the Church: the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Cor Unum and the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants. But in this case too, nothing has yet been decided. The migration question is gaining in importance and any potential mergers must avoid making it seem like less attention is being paid to this very serious issue. Meanwhile, the future of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization is currently being discussed.

Given the importance of ecumenical dialogue, the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity should keep its current tasks and leaders. Some tasks could be transferred from one dicastery to another; this is being looked into. For example catechesis could become the responsibility of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Meanwhile, the rumours surrounding a potential merger between the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and the Congregation for Divine Worship are false. If this were to happen, the situation would go back to being what it was before the reform introduced by Paul VI, when one dicastery, the Sacred Congregation of Rites, dealt with canonizations, beatifications and the liturgy.

The reform examination process is moving along and efforts are being made to look into all possibilities. It must be remembered that the process was slowed by the Vatican’s financial emergencies following the judicial inquiries into the IOR and the creation of the Secretariat for the Economy in response to the urgent need for the Vatican to sort out its expenses. The exact future structure of the IOR is still under discussion: it is essential that it sticks to international anti-money laundering regulations and acts with honesty and transparency (which it sadly did not do in the recent past). But it is just as essential that the IOR’s structure allows it to serve its purpose. This means it should be in a position to help Churches in need, single missionaries and religious works throughout the world. Whilst it should respect the rules of transparency, it should not be subject to any form of political control – even indirect – which may limit its freedom of movement in countries the international community considers as risk nations.